ABOUT GUA SHA
What is Gua Sha?
Gua means rub or friction. Sha literally means sand. This healing technique rubs a round-edged tool over lubricated skin raising a reddish, elevated sand-like rash known as petechiae. This technique has the feeling of a deep massage and the patient often will feel immediate relief from symptoms.
The healing power of Gua Sha
Gua Sha breaks Blood stasis allowing fresh Blood to suffuse the area and brings toxins to the surface of the skin where they can be released. The benefits are numerous. It promotes normal fluid and blood circulation to the muscles, tissues and organs directly beneath the surface treated. Normal metabolic processes are restored by the movement of fluids as nutrients are carried to the tissues and metabolic wastes are carried away. This often results in immediate changes in stiffness, pain and mobility.
By venting a rash to the surface, Gua Sha cools a patient who is overheated. By facilitating the movement of fresh blood, Gua Sha can warm a patient who is chilled. Thus it is a very versatile treatment. Though it is particularly well known for relief of neck pain and stiffness, it is very effective in treating upper respiratory problems as well as digestive issues.
What to expect
The area to be treated is lubricated with oil. The skin is then rubbed with a round-edged instrument in downward strokes. The area is stroked until the Sha (petechiae) is completely surfaced. If there is no Blood stasis, there will be no Sha and the skin will only turn pink. The Sha can surface as a bright red or dark purplish rash depending on the underlying condition. In minutes the Sha fades to a bruise. In other words, you will look completely beaten up and you can have fun telling your friends that it did not hurt at all. It actually felt like a massage. The bruising will disappear completely in two to four days.
Because Gua Sha opens the skin to vent toxins through the rash it is important to cover the area, avoid wind, exposure to the sun or any sudden change in temperature. Stretching is recommended but not a heavy workout on the day of treatment.